Greetings from 12 Seasons Farm, The cooling trend continued this past week and it is I think the longest time from tomato transplant date to harvest date that I have witnessed. The 3rd planting of tomatoes which was put in the ground around Nov. 1 still has yet to be harvested– over 90 days. We have a lot of fruit on the vines and it is just about to begin especially with warmer weather forecasted after this next front passes. For those who were at the Saturday market, we sold out of tomatoes early as the harvests lately have been shy.We are starting at a new farmers market that also is on Tuesday in Naples. We will send two crews and vehicles out on Tuesday, one to Captiva and the other to the St. John’s Naples Farmers Market. The Naples market is fairly new and small. Both cooking classes led by Anna Klein are full. We are working on another possible date since both classes filled up fast.We look forward to returning to the Captiva Farmers market again on Tuesday and trying this new market in Naples. The address is listed below. Here is our updated schedule this week: TUESDAY CAPTIVA MARKET: Tuesday, 9am-1pm at South Seas Island Resort, Captiva. Buy directly from the stand or place a preorder online by Sunday, 8 pm and pick it up at the market. TUESDAY NAPLES ST. JOHN’S FARMERS MARKET (NEW!): Tuesday 9am-1pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Naples. The St. John’s Farmers Market is located at 500 Park Shore Dr., Naples, FL 34103, just south of Pine Ridge Rd. Due to vehicle space and staff limitations we currently don’t plant to do preorders for this market. THURSDAY FARM PICK-UP & HOME DELIVERY FOR SW FL (NOT INCLUDING SANIBEL ANoD CAPTIVA): Please place an order online before TUESDAY, 8 pm. For farm pick-up on Thursday, please come to 14840 Old Olga Rd., Ft. Myers, FL 33905. SATURDAY BONITA FARMERS MARKET: Saturday, 8am-noon at the Promenade Shops at Bonita Bay. Buy directly from the stand or place a preorder online by Thursday, 8 pm. If possible, please pick up after 10:30 for pre-orders as this will reduce the long line that often forms early in the morning. When picking up, you are welcome to skip the line and go down the south side of the tent to the back of our van where Annika will help you get your order and grab any add-ons you might want. Orders can be placed online at 12seasonsfarm.comThis is what we are harvesting: … matoesRound radishDaikon radishCilantroDillCurled Parsley (limited)Flat Parsley (limited)LemongrassAvocadoPummeloLemonsPapayaStarfruitBananaSunflowersSW FL Saw Palmetto HoneySW FL Wildflower HoneyStrawberry Butter Strawberries, Summer crisp lettuce, Baby Butterhead lettuce, Large Leaf Butterhead lettuce, Romaine lettuce, Arugula, Curly Kale, Flat Kale, Mixed kale (multiple varieties), Swiss chard, Green beans (crop over, more hopefully in a couple weeks), Zucchini (limited), Cucumbers (very limited), Eggplant, Sweet Italian Bull’s Horn Peppers (limited), Broccolini, Cabbage (limited), Cauliflower, Carrots, Green onions, Celery, Cherry tomatoes, Campari tomatoes, Heirloom/Specialty tomatoes, Red slicing tomatoes, Round radish, Daikon radish, Cilantro, Dill, Curled Parsley (limited), Flat Parsley (limited), Lemongrass, Avocado, Pummelo, Lemons, Papaya, Starfruit, Banana, Sunflowers, SW FL Saw Palmetto Honey, SW FL Wildflower Honey, Strawberry Butter. This week we had Dr. Craig Frey (on right) from the Univ. of Florida extension service come out and demonstrate sap analysis of tomatoes and strawberries with Justin and me using a special instrument. Here we were evaluating the potassium levels in the tomato. They grind up recent mature leaves in a garlic press from several vines and evaluate the nutritional content of the juice with a meter.We have a nice crop of cauliflower coming soon. We also harvested the first large onions. My initial planting was very small so we won’t have amounts. I was experimenting with an early crop. We have thousands coming on in 1-2 months.Sometimes it seems we have wild monkeys on the farmDinner in the bamboo cathedral. We are grateful when the farm becomes a meeting place for earnest souls.We hope you all have a great week!Danny, Vicki, the kids, and the 12 Seasons Team |
2024-02-03 Newsletter
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